American Vampire

Scott Snyder prefers horror where the humans are worse than the monsters. That idea, rooted in the Eisner Award-winning, bestselling writer’s early exposure to George Romero’s classic “Night of the Living Dead,” is at play in his new Image Comics series with artist Jock, “Wytches,” which arrived to enthusiastic reviews earlier this month. In “Wytches,” the titular terrors look more fearsome than “cackling women around the caldron,” as Snyder put it in a phone conversation with Hero Complex about his favorite horror stories. But what he hopes is more frightening than their bestial, skeletal appearance is that “they don’t come and eat anybody unless someone gives that person to them.” ‘Wytches’ preview: Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 The witches’ far-advanced knowledge of natural sciences means they can do […]

“American Vampire: Second Cycle” writer Scott Snyder told the “Vertigo: Defy Conventions” audience at Comic-Con on Thursday evening that one of the joys of his and artist Rafael Albuquerque’s series is “we’re able to explore different moments in American history and … talk about American culture and why things are monstrous or heroic at different moments.” Coming up: a space race tale that involves — naturally — astronaut chimps who become vampires. That arrives in No. 6, but before that readers will get a look at the background of the deadly enemy known as the Gray Trader in a tale set during the Gold Rush. It’s all part of giving the series’ second half the “biggest, craziest war we can create between different species of vampires, different species of monsters — you’re going to see everything from mummies, werewolves, demons, everything […]

Skinner Sweet is hell on wheels, and “American Vampire” co-creator Rafael Albuquerque says the visual engine is “Easy Rider.” The original Abominus americana rides in the sunlight again Wednesday as Brazilian artist Albuquerque and writer Scott Snyder’s Eisner Award-winning Vertigo series begins its “Second Cycle” after a planned hiatus that lasted more than a year. Set in the 1960s, the new arc finds the deadly outlaw Sweet, first of a new breed that walks in daylight and is felled by gold, up to no good in Mexico. Meanwhile, the woman he turned, former aspiring actress Pearl Jones, has returned home to Kansas from Los Angeles, an ever-young widow who outlived her beloved musician husband Henry. And, as teased in the last regular issue before the break, a mysterious threat called the Gray Trader is on the horizon. “AV” readers’ blood thirst […]

Conjuring horror in comics requires a masterful touch. As “Coffin Hill” artist Inaki Miranda said at New York Comic Con earlier this month, “you don’t have music, you don’t have … camera movement, so you have to pick exactly what to put in each panel to create that sense of horror and suspense.” Fortunately, a number of talented creators are channeling their darker impulses to craft wonderfully spooky reads, some violent, blood-soaked tales, others shot through with rich atmosphere. With Halloween right around the corner, Hero Complex has compiled a list of 13 great offerings, arranged alphabetically by age-appropriate groupings. Click through the gallery above to see artwork from some of the selections, and read on to see which titles made the cut. For all ages “Ghostbusters”: Fans of the 1984 comedy classic should understand that it’s nearly impossible for […]

It’s been 17 years since an issue of Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed, bestselling “Sandman” series hit stands, and — noting that it’s about 17 days until the first installment of the writer’s “Sandman: Overture” miniseries with artist J.H. Williams III is released — Vertigo executive editor Shelly Bond decided to give one reader a 17-second look at that hotly anticipated No. 1. It might have been a little more than 17 seconds: As “Coffin Hill” writer Caitlin Kittredge pointed out, DC marketing executive John Cunningham at first set the timer for 17 minutes. But after a loose vocal count-out, the chosen woman (she waved more vigorously than others for the chance) was invited up on stage to share her reaction with the crowd at a Saturday evening panel held by the DC mature-readers imprint at New York Comic Con, with freedom […]

Rafael Albuquerque, artist and co-creator of the Eisner Award-winning Vertigo series “American Vampire,” is bringing his dark-and-gritty style to “Animal Man.” Albuquerque is taking over art duties on the DC series, written by Jeff Lemire, beginning with issue No. 24 this October. Hero Complex readers get a first look at Albuquerque’s debut cover, right. The series follows Buddy Baker, a.k.a. Animal Man, who puts his special power to borrow abilities from animals on the back burner while he focuses on being a family man. But after his young daughter Maxine starts to manifest dangerous powers, Buddy discovers their connection to the Red, which connects animal life on Earth and is the source of Buddy and Maxine’s abilities. After tragic events separate Buddy from his family, issue No. 24 picks up with his efforts to reunite them. “‘Animal Man’ is a […]

Vertigo Comic fans got a glimpse of the future — which includes an adaptation of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” a graphic novel by chef Anthony Bourdain and a 10th anniversary “Fables” collection — during the publisher’s Friday evening panel at WonderCon. Editor Will Dennis, writer Scott Snyder and artist Dennis Nguyen spoke during the panel for Vertigo — the edgy-spirited imprint of DC Comics — highlighting a slate of comics, including “Fables,” “The New Deadwardians,” “Saucer Country,” “Voodoo Child,” “American Vampire,” “American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares,” “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” “Get Jiro,” “Sweet Tooth” and “Scalped.” The “Dragon Tattoo” book, adapted by Scottish crime author Denise Mina from Stieg Larsson’s bookshelf sensation, is slated for a November release and will be the first in a set of six — two graphic novels for each book in the original trilogy. “It’s […]

Scott Snyder, a rising star in comics, worked with horror writer Stephen King on “American Vampire,” Snyder’s ongoing Vertigo series. Hero Complex contributor Travis Walecka caught up with Snyder to chat about the series, about horror in general and about King, who today announced “Dr. Sleep,” a sequel to “The Shining,” in a three-part interview. In Part One of the interview, Snyder talked about “Swamp Thing,” one of two revered titles under DC’s relaunch. His second title, “Batman,” is the topic of Part Two of the interview. This is Part Three, the final installment. TW: Horror plays a big role in your books. Where did you get this wild imagination? SS: I don’t know, man. I feel like I watched too many horror movies as a kid. Growing up in Manhattan on East 23rd Street, there was a video store […]